Search Results for: “Disneyland”

‘Iron Man 3′ Breaks Records: $175.3M Sets 2nd Biggest Domestic Opening Weekend; Worldwide Totals Franchise Best $680.1M

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday May 5, 2013 @ 8:15am PDTTags: Box Office, Disney, Iron Man 3, Marvel Studios

SUNDAY AM, 9TH UPDATE:  Walt Disney Company Chairman/CEO Bob Iger has his Wall Street earnings call on Tuesday and more good news to report with the stock already at an all-time high. Disney/Marvel’s 3D Iron Man 3 kicked off the North American summer movie season in 4,253 theaters with $68.3M Friday and a very good hold for $62.2M Saturday. With an estimated $44.7M Sunday, that $175.3M domestic weekend puts it on a path to the #2 biggest Friday-Saturday-Sunday opening ever (previously occupied by Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 with $169.2M). But it’s behind Marvel’s #1 The Avengers and its $207.4M. Audiences gave Iron Man 3 a coveted ’A’ CinemaScore so word of mouth should stay strong. Exit polling showed that audiences mostly saw the film in 2D (55%) vs 3D (45%, including 9% IMAX), were overwhelmingly male (61%) and couples (52% vs  families 27% and teens 21%). The age breakdown was 2-11 (9%), 12-17 (13%), 18-25 (23%) 26-34 (26%), 35-49 (20%), 50+ (9%).

Pic’s international cume to date is $504.8M through Sunday for an updated global box office of $680.1M. Iron Man 3 has now passed the franchise total worldwide for Iron Man ($585M) and Iron Man 2 ($624M). Internationally, the 12-day run of the Robert Downey Jr-starring/Shane Black-directed actioner has passed the total international box office of Captain America ($192M), Iron Man ($267M), Thor ($268M) and Iron Man 2 ($312M). Overseas it played in 54 territories by the end of the weekend after beginning its international rollout on April 24, debuting #1 in every territory and setting the biggest opening weekend of all time in Latin America and Asia Pacific and the biggest opening of 2013 in Europe. This weekend’s box office take from Iron Man 3 means that Disney has now crossed the $1B box office threshold internationally and represents the fastest time that Disney has ever achieved this. Here are the new Iron Man 3 cumulative results after the weekend: China $63.5M, Korea $42.6M, United Kingdom $38.3M, Mexico $35.8M, Brazil $30.1M, Australia $28.4M, France $27.8M,  Russia $21.7M, Italy $17.4M, Japan $16.4M, Taiwan $15.1M,   Philippines $12.3M, Indonesia $10.6M, Hong Kong $10.5M, Malaysia $10.5M, Germany $10.5M, other markets $113.8M. Read More »

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Disney Theme Parks Find Cure For Insomnia

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday April 26, 2013 @ 11:09am PDTTags: Disney, Monsters University

Disneyland, California Adventure, open 24 hoursDisney announced that it will keep three of its theme parks open for 24 hours in a row on May 24 to celebrate the start of summer. Disneyland Park and Disney Adventure Park in Anaheim and The Magic Kingdom Park in Orlando will stay open from 6 AM to 6 AM to kick off Memorial Day weekend. Most of the extra bells and whistles in the “All-Nighter” initiative are tied to Disney/Pixar’s prequel Monsters University, which opens in the U.S. on June 21.

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CinemaCon: Disney’s Vegas Act Includes Johnny Depp And ‘Lone Ranger’ Footage

By PETE HAMMOND | Wednesday April 17, 2013 @ 3:40pm PDTTags: Alan Horn, CinemaCon, Jerry Bruckheimer, Johnny Depp, Monsters University, Star Wars, The Lone Ranger, Walt Disney Studios
Pete Hammond

Alan Horn today made his CinemaCon debut in his new capacity as Chairman of Walt Disney Studios hosting a long three hour presentation that was a slide show highlighting the studio’s entire slate for the next two years. It included Johnny Depp and a first look at 20 minutes of new footage plus a trailer premiere from Disney’s expensive summer western The Lone Ranger. For Marvel, Horn said Robert Downey Jr really delivers in the May 3 release of Iron Man 3 – but not about the ticketing dispute which Deadline scooped between Disney and some some theater chains like AMC. Horn also hyped the November 8th release of the sequel Thor: The Dark World, plugged Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 2014), and mentioned future offerings Guardians Of The Galaxy, Antman and the sequel The Avengers 2. For Pixar, he gushed about their success rate and quoted from Pixar chief John Lasseter: “Quality is the best business play. I always give him credit for that phrase.” Pixar’s Monsters Inc sequel Monsters University was shown in its entirety with director Don Scanlon telling exhibitors, ”You are one of the very first audiences to see it.” Judging from the reaction during the screening, they seemed to like it. Horn intro’ed toons like Pixar’s The … Read More »

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Disneyland Shuts Down Three Rides After Safety Violation; Fined $234K In Penalties

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday April 14, 2013 @ 5:08pm PDTTags: CAL/OSHA, Disneyland, Space Mountain

Disneyland reps insist the closures of Space Mountain, Soarin’ Over California, and The Matterhorn are unrelated to the safety of park guests. But the shutdowns coming in the wake of a CAL/OSHA safety citation could spook some patrons of the Happiest Place On Earth, where last November a contractor employee was seriously injured in a fall while performing maintenance on Space Mountain. CAL/OSHA issued its inspection citation of the incident on Friday, including penalties totaling $234K for violations ranging from out of date fire extinguishers to the lack of sufficient support lines and unsafe conditions involved in November’s accident. Saturday the attractions were voluntarily closed for review of internal safety protocols for employees and contractors, Disneyland Media Relations Director Suzi Brown told Deadline. The Matterhorn reopened Sunday but the other two rides remain closed.

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‘Iron Man 3′ Tracking For Huge $125+M To Open Summer 2013 Movie Season

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday April 11, 2013 @ 9:51am PDTTags: Box Office, Disney, Iron Man 3

EXCLUSIVE: The movie starts rolling out in major markets internationally first two weeks ahead of its domestic release on May 3rd. Iron Man 3 just came on tracking this morning and is looking huge: $125+ million opening which would match and probably exceed the blockbuster take of Iron Man 2 for a non-holiday 3-day weekend. I’ve learned that total awareness numbers are in the 90s while definite interest is at 67 which is higher than even The Avengers, which went on to make the highest North American opening of all time with $207M. Iron Man 3 also has incredibly strong numbers with women and Hispanics across the board. Marketing for the Robert Downey Jr 3D threequel directed by Shane Black began early and its teaser trailer debut received 35 million global streams in just 24 hours. Downey has has been on the road promoting the film with first stops in Korea and China (the first ever junket in the Forbidden City) as well as Russia and upcoming stops include Germany, France, and the UK. This is  the Walt Disney Company‘s first marketing of an Iron Man film (Paramount used to distribute the franchise) and it’s pulling out all the stops, promoting across Disney’s TV networks, games, publishing, consumer products, and parks divisions. There’s a first-ever Iron Man Tech Exhibit at Disneyland featuring 8 authentic Iron Man suits, interactive experiences, and exclusive content. The Walt Disney World monorail is featuring Iron Man … Read More »

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Disney’s First Images Of Shanghai Resort

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday March 6, 2013 @ 12:31pm PSTTags: Disney, Robert Iger, Shanghai Disney

The first glimpse of Shanghai Disneyland, the centerpiece of Shanghai Disney Resort, was unveiled earlier today during the company’s annual meeting: 

Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger showed off a model of the new theme park centered on the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Under development since 2005, Shanghai Disney reportedly will be three times the size of Disney’s Hong Kong resort. The 963-acre facility will feature the theme park, a 46,000-square-meter retail area, dining and entertainment, two hotels, a lake, recreational facilities, transit hubs and parking. It was also revealed during the meeting that, as part of Disney’s environmental commitment, the facility’s vehicles will run on cooking oil.  Read More »

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Will Disney Shareholders Challenge Iger Tomorrow?

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday March 5, 2013 @ 4:57pm ESTTags: Bob Iger, corporate governance, Disney

The Walt Disney CompanyUnder more normal circumstances, the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix would briefly replace Disneyland tomorrow as Disney‘s “happiest place on earth.” The company’s stock is trading around an all time high as shareholders prepare to convene there for their annual meeting. But attendees instead are girding for a fight over resolutions that could shape the way Disney’s run, especially after Bob Iger steps down in June 2016. Many shareholders support a movement sweeping corporate America to democratize governance policies, giving the people who ostensibly own a company more flexibility to check the power of CEOs and directors. Disney infuriated them in 2011 by agreeing to make Iger chairman as well as CEO, which critics say puts him in charge of the team that’s supposed to judge his performance. And the company further enraged shareholder rights advocates recently when it gave Iger a 20.3% raise with a package for fiscal 2012 worth $40M — even though 43% of Disney shareholders opposed management in the federally mandated say-on-pay advisory vote at last year’s annual meeting.

That set the stage for tomorrow: California teachers’ fund CalPERS, and proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, are among the groups asking shareholders to oppose Disney in the say-on-pay vote. They also support two shareholder resolutions that Disney opposes. One would enable some stock owners to nominate candidates for the board — an idea that’ll be raised at several companies this year. The second urges the board to amend the company’s governance guidelines to prevent a CEO after Iger from also serving as chairman, except under brief and unusual circumstances. Read More »

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Global Showbiz Briefs: Oscar Nominees ‘War Witch’ & ‘Buzkashi Boys’ In LA, New 007 Novel, French Critics ♥ ‘Amour’, & More

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday February 20, 2013 @ 11:24pm PSTTags: Amour, Buzkashi Boys, Foxtel, Global Showbiz Briefs, Summer In February, The Best Offer, War Witch

‘War Witch’ Actress Granted Visa For Oscars
Rachel Mwanza, who won best actress prizes in Berlin and Tribeca last year for her lead performance in War Witch, has been granted a visa to travel from Congo to North America in order to attend the Oscars on Sunday and other awards shows. War Witch is nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Mwanza was a non-pro when she was discovered living on the streets of Kinshasa and was cast in the movie about a 12-year-old girl who is kidnapped by African rebels, forced to kill her parents at gunpoint and then fight as a child soldier against the government. According to Tribeca Film, which acquired War Witch for North America, the filmmakers continue to provide her with a caregiver and oversee her education. The film is directed by Kim Nguyen is also nominated as Best International Film at Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, has 12 nominations for Canadian Screen Awards on March 3 and 9 nominations for Québec’s Jutras on March 17. Tribeca is platforming the film starting March 1 in New York, then March 8 in Los Angeles and in select cities thereafter. It will be available VOD from February 26.

Afghan ‘Buzkashi Boys’ Arrive In LA For Oscars
After an Internet campaign raised money for expenses and Turkish Air Lines donated tickets for them and a shaperone, the two teenage stars of the Oscar-nominated short film from Afghanistan arrived in Los Angeles today. The 28-minute film is the first to be produced by the Afghan Film Project, a non-profit that aims to train filmmakers in Afghanistan. It focuses on two children growing up in Kabul who dream of becoming Buzkashi riders, horsemen who compete in the dangerous Afghan national sport similar to polo in which riders try to carry a headless goat across a goal line. The film earned U.S. director Sam French a nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Producers said they launched the campaign because they lacked a travel budget for Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, who will attend the Oscars Sunday night. Read More »

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Cinema Audio Society Awards: ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Brave’, ‘Homeland’, ‘Hatfields & McCoys’, ‘Modern Family’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday February 16, 2013 @ 10:25pm PSTTags: CAS Awards, Cinema Audio Society Awards

Universal’s Les Misérables was honored for Best Sound Mixing for a motion picture and Disney/Pixar’s team for Brave took the award for animated feature film tonight as the Cinema Audio Society handed out prizes for Sound Mixing for 2012 in six categories plus a separate pair of awards for technical achievement. The team for Hatfields & McCoys Part 1 (The History Channel) took the nod for TV movie or miniseries, and Homeland: Beruit Is Back (Showtime) won in the one-hour TV series category. The prize for mixing of a half-hour series went to the team behind ABC’s Modern Family.  Read More »

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Hot Sundance Clip: ‘Escape From Tomorrow’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday January 19, 2013 @ 3:56pm PSTTags: Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Wrap-Up

Aspiring screenwriter Randy Moore came up with the idea of shooting a movie on the fly at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. The fruit of his labors, Escape From Tomorrow, screened last night in the NEXT sidebar of the Sundance Film Festival. Various park locations figure into the narrative, according to the LA Times, including Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, a Main Street parade and Epcot Center. The black-and-white movie about a father’s descent into madness was made without cooperation or approval from Disney, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. The movie described as “surrealistic and genre-defying” screens again tonight, tomorrow and on January 24th and 26th. It doesn’t reveal much, but here’s a clip:


WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE: Escape From Tomorrow – Official Sundance Clip

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Cinema Audio Society Unveils Sound Mixing Noms

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday January 8, 2013 @ 5:31am PSTTags: Cinema Audio Society

The Cinema Audio Society has announced its nominees for the 49th Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for 2012 in six categories. The awards will be presented February 16 at LA’s Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The CAS Career Achievement Award will be presented to Sound Mixer Chris Newman and director Jonathan Demme will receive the CAS Filmmaker Award. The complete list of nominees follows:

Motion Pictures – Live Action:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Production Mixer – Tony Johnson, CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Christopher Boyes
Re-recording Mixer – Michael Hedges, CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick, CAS

Les Misérables
Production Mixer – Simon Hayes
Re-recording Mixer – Andy Nelson
Re-recording Mixer – Mark Paterson
Scoring Mixer – Jonathan Allen
ADR Mixer –Robert Edwards

Lincoln
Production Mixer – Ronald Judkins, CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Andy Nelson
Re-recording Mixer – Gary Rydstrom, CAS
Scoring Mixer – Shawn Murphy
ADR Mixer – Bob Johanson
Foley Mixer – Frank Rinella

Skyfall
Production Mixer – Stuart Wilson
Re-recording Mixer – Scott Millan, CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Greg P. Russell, CAS
Scoring Mixer – Simon Rhodes
ADR Mixer – Peter Gleaves
Foley Mixer – James Ashwill

Zero Dark Thirty
Production Mixer – Ray Beckett, CAS
Re-recording Mixer – Paul N. J. Ottosson
ADR Mixer – Brian Smith
Foley Mixer – John Sanacore

Read More »

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The Black List 2012: Screenplay Roster

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday December 17, 2012 @ 9:49am PSTTags: The Black List

Related:
Black List 2012: By Agencies
Black List 2012: By Managers

BREAKING… Once again, Deadline Hollywood is the first to post in its entirety The Black List, which for the uninitiated is film executive Franklin Leonard’s hot unproduced screenplay pecking order which he began in 2004. Compiled every year from the suggestions of hundreds of film executives, each contributes the names of up to 10 of their favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, the current year and will not be released in theaters during this calendar year. (This year, Leonard said more than 290 film executives voted). The Black List does catapult dozens of scripts into production and screenwriters out of oblivion. Diablo Cody’s Juno, Nancy Oliver’s Lars And The Real Girl and Scott Neustader’s and Michael Weber’s 500 Days Of Summer are just some of the screenplays which appeared on The Black List and then were made. I’ve noticed that it’s also a “big dick” measuring contest for the Hollywood agencies and their motion picture lit departments. Problem is, some screenwriters think this list isn’t on the up-and-up and accuse junior studio execs and assistants along with self-interested agents and managers of getting together to push their own clients on projects even if already abandoned. Also, if you spot inaccuracies, take it up with Leonard: I do not alter his list. Anyway, climb off the ledge if you’re not on The Black List. And, if you did make the cut, then congratulations:

Refresh for latest…

The Black List was compiled from the suggestions over 290 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of their favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2012 and will not have completed principal photography during this calendar year.

This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the Black List.

All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein. The Black List apologizes for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation identification, and questionable 2012 affiliations.

It has been said many times, but it’s worth repeating: The Black List is not a “best of ” list. It is, at best, a “most liked” list.

65
DRAFT DAY
Rajiv Joseph, Scott Rothman
On the day of the NFL Draft, Bills General Manager Sonny Weaver has the opportunity to save football in Buffalo when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred.
Agency: Gersh, CAA
Agents: Lee Keele (Joseph), Chris Till, Bill Zotti (Rothman)
Management: Kaplan/Perrone (Joseph & Rothman)
Managers: Josh Goldenberg, Aaron Kaplan
Production: Montecito Pictures

43
A COUNTRY OF STRANGERS
Sean Armstrong
Based on true events. Inspector Geoff Harper conducts a forty year search for the Beaumont Children, three siblings taken from an Australian beach in January of 1966.
Agency: Verve
Agents: Aaron Hart, Adam Levine, Rob Herting, Bill Weinstein
Management: Principato-Young Management
Managers: Peter Dealbert, Susan Solomon

43
SEUSS
Eyal Podell, Jonathan Stewart
As a young man, Ted Geisel meets his future wife Helen, who encourages his fanciful drawings, and in the 1950s when Ted is struggling professionally, Helen helps inspire the children’s book that will become his first big hit, “The Cat in the Hat.”
Agency: Verve
Agents: Bryan Besser, Zach Carlisle, Rob Herting
Management: Industry Entertainment
Manager: Michael Botti, Jess Rosenthal

39
RODHAM
Young Il Kim
During the height of the Watergate scandal, rising star Hillary Rodham is the youngest lawyer chosen for the House Judiciary Committee to Impeach Nixon, but she soon finds herself forced to choose between a destined path to the White House and her unresolved feelings for Bill Clinton, her former boyfriend who now teaches law in Arkansas.
Agency: UTA
Agents: Barbara Dreyfus, Jenny Maryasis
Management: The Arlook Group
Managers: Richard Arlook, Jason Hong
Production: The Arlook Group, Temple Hill Entertainment

Read More »

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OSCARS: Handicapping Lead Actor Race

By PETE HAMMOND | Saturday November 17, 2012 @ 5:32pm PSTTags: Awardsline, Oscars
Pete Hammond

If there’s one race this Oscar season that bears watching closely it’s best actor. Ridiculously over-crowded, we could actually easily fill this category two or three times over. This is a year where, in the case of the leading men, they have all come to play and some truly deserving performances not only might not make it to the finish line, they are in danger of not even making it to the starting line. The field is that strong and is topped by a pair of actors who stand a real chance at grabbing their third Oscar, but nothing is certain, especially in a late-breaking group brimming with career-best turns. Here’s a rundown of the contenders and their current place in the race.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Twice a best actor Oscar winner for My Left Foot (1989) and There Will Be Blood (2007), Day-Lewis plays Abraham Lincoln, one of the most recognizable figures in world history. There are all sorts of landmines he had to avoid, and some have even criticized the vocal choices he made (this is not the Disneyland version of Lincoln), but Day-Lewis nails it like he belongs on that $5 bill and certainly earns as least a share of frontrunner status here.

Related: OSCARS: Handicapping Lead Actress Race

Denzel Washington, Flight
Washington is another two-time winner (Glory, Training Day) but might have topped even those roles with a bravura turn as a troubled drug- and alcohol-addicted pilot who becomes a media hero just as his own demons threaten to do him in. Playing drunk has always been a ticket to the Oscars, but Washington manages to add a strong human element in a riveting performance certain to gain the attention of his fellow actors. Read More »

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‘Lincoln’ Premieres At New York FIlm Festival; Steven Spielberg Glad Film Comes Out Post-Election So It Isn’t Turned Into “Political Football”

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday October 9, 2012 @ 6:49am PDTTags: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln, New York Film Festival, Steven Spielberg
Mike Fleming

2ND UPDATE: As Deadline revealed exclusively last week, the Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln made a surprise world premiere at the New York Film Festival on Monday evening. It has been one of the wildcards in the Oscar conversation, with the nomination buzz for the picture and Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones louder now than ever. Afterwards was a Q&A with screenwriter Tony Kushner and director Steven Spielberg (moderated by outgoing NYFF festival director Richard Pena).

Pena brought up a point that is glaringly obvious to those who watched the film and might have been surprised that it was the Republicans, and not the Democrats, leading the crusade to abolish slavery. Pena asked: “What were you thinking of, in terms of how this film would make an intervention in terms of what is going on right now”

Said Spielberg: “I just said, please don’t release this until the election is over. I didn’t want it to be this political football going back and forth. Because it’s kind of confusing. The parties traded political places over the last 150 years. That in itself is a great story, how the Republican Party went from a progressive party in 1865, and how the Democrats were represented in the picture, to the way it’s just the opposite today. But that’s a whole other story.”

Lincoln took over ten years to figure out, and Kushner, who helped Spielberg find the tone of the Best Picture … Read More »

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Space Shuttle’s Hollywood Debut: Photo

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Friday September 21, 2012 @ 1:45pm PDT

The Space Shuttle Endeavour did a fly-by today in Los Angeles as part of a farewell tour of California before it settles into its final home at the California Science Center downtown. The shuttle and the 747 that carried it buzzed several landmarks, including Disneyland. It will be transported via city streets beginning October 12 to the museum and goes on permanent display beginning October 30.

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Disney And Marvel Do Damage Control After Media Scrutiny Of Big Boss Ike Perlmutter

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday August 17, 2012 @ 6:17pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Bob Iger, Disney Marvel

EXCLUSIVE… UPDATE: Sources now tell me that all three female executives in employments disputes with the Walt Disney Co have settled – including one today. This is many months after the women lost their jobs in a Department Of Consumer Products reorganization set in motion nearly a year ago by Marvel boss Ike Perlmutter who is Disney’s 2nd largest shareholder. Former DCP head of fashion and home products Pam Lifford, former chief financial officer Anne Gates, and former DCP HR  exec Susan Cole Hill were all represented by the same attorney with  the Pasadena law firm Hadsell, Stormer, Keeny, Richardson and Rennick which has sued Disney in other employee rights cases. According to my sources, the three women, who are all African Americans, referred to themselves as “The Help” – a reference to last summer’s hit DreamWorks movie distributed by Disney and set during the civil rights movement about black maids in Mississippi.

The reorganization took place in September 2011 but the negotiations for the exit settlements dragged on. Some insiders claim the law firm didn’t return Disney’s calls because it first wanted a story damaging to Perlmutter to appear in the media. An article appeared on Thursday, and Disney and Marvel and Perlmutter now are in damage control mode. Financial Times LA-based correspondent Matthew Garrahan broke the news about these three African-American female execs, their respective job status after their boss Andy Mooney was replaced as the head of DCP, and their hiring an attorney. At the time he wrote that only one of the three women had settled with Disney.

But the FT story also reported that, when African-American actor Terrence Howard was replaced by African-American actor Don Cheadle in the role of  Colonel Jim Rhodes for Iron Man 2, ”Perlmutter apparently told Mr. Mooney the change cut costs. He allegedly added words to the effect that no one would notice because black people ‘look  the same’,”  Garrahan wrote. A Marvel spokesperson told the FT in a statement: “Mr. Perlmutter and all  of Marvel have a long record of diversity in the workplace and on movie sets around the world as evidenced by both Mr. Perlmutter’s own history and Marvel’s management team.”

There’s also conflicting descriptions of a formal complaint with Disney
Human Resources about Perlmutter filed by former CFO Anne Gates before she left the company. Several sources told me it was a racial complaint but others say it wasn’t race-related.

The last thing Disney wants is bad press about the reclusive (Forbes found this 1985 photo, right), opinionated, parsimonious, and incredibly successful 69-year-old Perlmutter. (The Los Angeles Times, ever obliging to advertisers, didn’t even mention the FT accusations in its clip-job story about Perlmutter appearing later Thursday.) Perlmutter’s influence inside Disney is gigantic ever since his $4B sale of Marvel to Mouse House CEO Bob Iger in 2009. I reported back in April that one of the reasons Rich Ross was summarily fired as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios was because the Marvel Entertainment CEO was a very vocal detractor. The comic book, TV, and film company boss is a notoriously tough customer eager to back-seat manage everything. (As I quoted a source saying in April: “Iger has real problems. Bob thought he could handle him. But Ike is uncharmable.”)

Related: Why Rich Ross Was Fired At Disney

High-ranking Marvel sources today tell me that the FT‘s implication that Perlmutter is racist is ”proposterous”. The insiders also claim, about what Perlmutter allegedly said to Mooney, “he [Mooney] never complained about it at the time and then only 5 months later”. Other insiders acknowledge that “it looks bad” that the African-American trio were reorganized out of their jobs but claim the FT‘s information is coming from “disgruntled employees” who have tried to “peddle accusations against Ike” to other media outlets for many months. Trying to give me some context about Perlmutter, one insider made the point that he was “of a different generation and an Israeli immigrant and owner of a private company” whose blunt style is at odds with a public corporate environment like Disney. But these people who know him all flatly deny that he has demonstrated racism.
Read More »

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Muslim Woman Sues Disney Over Right To Wear Hijab

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday August 13, 2012 @ 10:25am PDTTags: Hollywood lawsuit, The Walt Disney Company

UPDATE, 2:29 PM: The Walt Disney Company has sent out a new statement about Imane Boudlal and the discrimination lawsuit she filed today against her former employer:

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a history of accommodating religious requests from cast members of all faiths.  We presented Ms. Boudlal with multiple options to accommodate her religious beliefs, as well as offered her several roles that would have allowed her to wear her own hijab.  Unfortunately, she rejected all of our efforts and has since refused to come to work. – Suzi Brown, Director, Media Relations and External Communication, Disneyland Resorts.

PREVIOUS, 10:25 AM: The American Civil Liberties Union today sued the Walt Disney Company for discrimination on behalf of a Muslim former Disneyland employee. The ACLU says that Imane Boudlal was fired in 2010 from her job at the theme park for wearing the hijab headscarf at work. The organization, with law firm Hadsell Stormer Richardson & Renick, filed the federal lawsuit today. In a 28-page complaint (read it here), the ACLU went after the Walt Disney Corporation on seven counts including discrimination and harassment in employment, and failure to remedy discrimination and harassment. The ACLU and Boudlal are asking for a jury trial as the plaintiff seeks applicable statutory, actual and punitive damages under each course of action as well as her legal fees. In the complaint, the ACLU is also requesting that the court order that all “Disney employees, supervisors, and managers regarding harassment and discrimination.” Ms. Boudlal says that besides the issues of the hijab, in beginning in the summer of 2008 she became the subject of insults based on her religion, national origin and skin color by fellow Disney workers and supervisors. Boudlal said today that she was called a “terrorist,” a “camel” and a “bitch” by supervisors and co-worker as well as repeatedly subjected to comments about Arabs being bombmakers and terrorists. “When she reported these attacks to her Disney managers, she was told that she had to put up with them, told that Disney knew there was a problem, but that the solution was the directive from her bosses that she needed to stop complaining”, said ACLU chief counsel Mark Rosenbaum today. ”Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has a long history of accommodating a variety of religious requests from cast members of all faiths. However, because we have not seen the lawsuit, we cannot comment specifically about this situation at this time”, Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said in a statement.

Read More »

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Disney Wows Analysts With Preview Of New Park Attractions, And Prices

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday June 15, 2012 @ 2:21pm EDTTags: Disney, Disney California Adventure

As proud members of the 1% club, Wall Street analysts have little in common with most of the people Disney hopes to attract with its renovations at the California Adventure theme park, including the new Cars Land attraction. Still, reports out this morning indicate that yesterday’s look-see for the money mavens was a hit. Miller Tabak & Co’s David Joyce raised his long term price target for Disney stock to $56 from $53 and increased his fiscal 2012 revenue estimate 4.6% to $42.8B. He based the change in part on his expectation that attendance at the park will grow 7% this quarter with per-capita spending +5% — and attendance and spending both will be +4% in the next two quarters. Needham & Co’s Laura Martin provided one of the most thorough reviews: “Nobody is better at line management than Disney, and they are innovating with more immersive storytelling in the lines while you wait,” she says. The analyst also was impressed by the way the company used “interactive games and dining facilities that draw people into the least trafficked areas of the parks.” That should increase the maximum number of tickets that Disney can sell. But she reminds investors that new media investments can turn profits with far fewer employees: California Adventure will have about 25,000 full timers vs just 3,500 at Facebook and 17 at Instagram. Read More »

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Cars Land Revs Up For Friday Unveiling At New Disney California Adventure: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday June 14, 2012 @ 12:53pm PDTTags: Bob Iger, Disney, Disney California Adventure, John Lasseter

The public is about to get a first look at the revamp of Disney’s 11-year-old California Adventure — including the Pixar-engineered Cars Land and other upgrades. The face-lift, which took five years, aims to fix what Disney CEO Bob Iger once called a “brand eyesore.” The company also hopes to boost attendance at the underperforming venue, which is situated across from Disneyland in Anaheim. Disney reportedly spent $1 billion on renovations. Goofy’s Sky School replaced the Mulholland Madness roller coaster. An animatronic attraction, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure ride, replaced the Golden Dreams audio tour of California. And the Golden Gate Bridge was replaced by Buena Vista Street, which attempts to re-create the Los Angeles of the 1920s when Walt Disney first came to town and lived and worked in Los Feliz. Read More »

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